We recently completed our latest round of VPN tests, where we evaluated dozens of providers across key parameters such as privacy, speed, and, of course, value for money.
Speaking of pricing, we at TechRadar are firm believers that getting a VPN shouldn't burn a hole in your pocket. All the best VPNs today use a subscription model, and while there are VPNs available to suit all budgets, Surfshark remains our favorite cheap VPN.
Keep reading, and I'll explain why Surfshark has held onto the title and what makes it such a budget-friendly option.
Reason #1: unbeatable prices
You can get started with Surfshark for as little as $1.99 a month. While many other VPNs offer basic VPN functionality on their entry-level plans, Surfshark's Starter plan also includes features such as ad and pop-up blockers, as well as Alternative ID, which generates an entirely new identity or online persona to boost your privacy.
Besides this, there are two more Surfshark plans: Surfshark One at $2.49 a month and Surfshark One+ at $3.99 a month on a two-year cycle. Depending on the plan you choose, you'll get access to several extra cybersecurity features, such as real-time breach alerts, a private search engine, built-in antivirus, and Incogni, one of the best data removal services on the market.
You won’t find more value/features at a cheaper price point. For example, ExpressVPN, another high-quality VPN, is available at $5.32 per month (on a 2-year subscription), and that's after the provider lowered its price for the first time ever.
As you can see, Surfshark is over twice as cheap as ExpressVPN – and less pricey than NordVPN, too – and offers a lot of the same functionality for a more budget-friendly price point.
All in all, price is often the first thing that prospective buyers, especially first-time users, look at, and Surfshark knocked it out of the park as far as value for money is concerned.
Reason #2: unlimited simultaneous connections
Surfshark stuffs a lot of value into its low-cost plans, and this is most evident with its unlimited simultaneous connections. You'll be able to cover all of your gadgets, plus share your login with friends and family.
This is particularly useful if you have a large family with children who own smartphones, tablets, and gaming consoles, and you'd like all of them to benefit from Surfshark's airtight privacy.
Want a VPN you can take with you on the go? Check out our guide to today's best mobile VPNs.
Another massive benefit of having unlimited connections is convenience. You won’t have to log in and out of devices all the time to ensure you don't hit the limit or pick and choose which devices to install your VPN on. There’s no reason to leave any gadget unprotected, either, as you can take Surfshark with you everywhere.
It's also worth noting that Surfshark is one of the very few providers to offer unlimited connections. A majority of VPNs, including industry leaders like NordVPN and ExpressVPN, cap the number of simultaneous connections to somewhere between 8 and 10.
What's more, unlimited logins also boost Surfshark's value for money by quite a hefty margin. You won't have to sign up for multiple VPN plans – which you'd have to do if you chose a VPN with limited connections – to cover all of the devices in the house.
Reason #3: the best speeds in the industry
Surfshark has dominated our performance rankings for quite some time now. In our most recent round of testing, it clocked in at over 950 Mbps when using the WireGuard protocol, maxing out our test line and retaining the top spot as the fastest VPN – so you're paying the smallest fee for the quickest provider.
The good news keeps coming, as Surfshark's OpenVPN speeds (460 Mbps) are also among the quickest in the industry. It's worth noting that lightning-fast speeds are crucial, particularly for bandwidth-intensive tasks such as streaming, gaming, and torrenting – and it also ensures a smooth day-to-day browsing experience.
- For instance, you'll need internet speeds of at least 25 Mbps to stream 4K content (or 5 Mbps for HD videos) without any buffering, and you'll also have to take into consideration that multiple devices will be using the VPN at the same time. With Surfshark, however, streaming will be an enjoyable experience. It will also help you avoid ISP throttling.
- Gaming is even more demanding, and you'll need speeds of at least 50-100 Mbps if you want to be able to dominate opponents in online multiplayers and hop in and out of lobbies quickly. Surfshark's high speeds ensure that jitter and latency are kept to a minimum and that the encryption process doesn't impact your gameplay.
- Torrenting, or P2P file sharing, involves downloading large files, meaning it directly benefits from Surfshark's lightning-fast speeds. Additionally, Surfshark will keep your torrenting activities private with rock-solid encryption and incredible IP spoofing capabilities, thanks to its large network of servers.
- Last but not least, Surfshark also makes day-to-day browsing, which is admittedly less resource-hungry, a breeze. You can choose a server halfway across the world, and the VPN will connect to it in the blink of an eye, allowing you to check out social media, the news, and lengthy threads on Reddit or Discord without missing a beat.
We test a VPN's speeds by using a US home connection and a Windows 365 cloud PC hosted in the UK, each of which accesses a 1Gbps internet connection. Yep, that's two different sessions so that we get accurate results.
Additionally, we use different VPN protocols, features, and at least three speed test websites (with at least five tests on each site). We then run around 120 speed tests in total before arriving at the average speeds of the VPN by calculating the median of all the results.
Check out our full VPN testing methodology for more details on how we test VPNs.
Reason #4: awesome unblocking power
Surfshark unblocks pretty much every streaming platform out there, including Netflix (in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and more), Amazon Prime Video, Disney Plus, YouTube, and BBC iPlayer, as well as several other services such as ITV Hub, All4, and Australia's 9Now and 10Play.
A full sweep of streaming services means that Surfshark is right up there with the best streaming VPNs, allowing you to pay for just one VPN subscription and expand the content libraries of countless platforms by geo-spoofing your location.
With Surfshark, you pay for just one VPN subscription and unblock a world of streaming content
Moreover, its unlimited simultaneous connections will take care of all the streaming enthusiasts in your household, even if they all want to stream different sites at the same time.
Combined, these features make for a brilliant package and easily the best option for folks who might be tempted to opt for a free VPN to check out geo-restricted content on sites such as Netflix, BBC iPlayer, etc.
Unfortunately, free VPNs rarely make good streaming VPNs, seeing as even legitimate ones offer access to just a handful of servers, sluggish speeds, and limited bandwidth. It’s worth paying a tiny Surfshark subscription to have reliable access to streaming platforms – and, of course, world-class privacy and speeds.
Bottom line
Surfshark has set the bar high for what a low-cost VPN is capable of pulling off. It's incredibly secure, ridiculously quick, and the only VPN in our top three to offer unlimited simultaneous connections.
Plus, its sleek apps make it a joy to use for beginners, and streaming enthusiasts will be impressed by the huge assortment of sites it can unblock. Put together, there's not another VPN package out there that offers such incredible value for your money.
Currently on sale from just $1.99 per month (on a 2-year commitment), Surfshark also offers a generous 30-day money-back guarantee, which you can use to try the service out without risking a single penny.
